HRSA awards grants to develop new approaches for organ donation

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced more than $2.2 million in grants to help identify effective strategies for increasing organ donation.

The funds are awarded under two programs administered by HRSA's Division of Transplantation:

• The Social and Behavioral Interventions to Increase Solid Organ Donation program ($1,212,717) is designed to improve understanding of ways to increase organ and tissue donation. These research projects will measure the potential of specific interventions to increase organ donation.
• The Public Education Efforts to Increase Solid Organ Donation program ($1,027,895) educates the public about the demand for organs to boost commitment to organ donation.

"More than 109,000 Americans are on waiting lists to receive organs for transplantation, and the number keeps growing," said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. "It's clear that more needs to be done to educate the public about this critical need, and to develop new approaches to increase donation."